Page 40 of Katherine the Vixen

“A… Your grandfather was a brewer?”

“Why, yes. I apologize if this comes as a shock to you. I thought you would have been told that my fortune is only very recent? Your brother certainly knows.”

He threw another glance at Katherine, who was struggling to keep her face impassive. She had wished to witness the revelation and he hoped she was enjoying the moment as much as he was.

“I will be happy to answer all the questions you might have about my grandfather later. I can tell you are curious. But let us go back to the matter at hand, for now. This girl, once suitably cleaned, will act as a model for the tailors to create the new dresses for you. Not only is she of your height and build but, by an extraordinary stroke of luck, she also shares your pale coloring and even has the same blue eyes. With her, the tailors will be able to judge the effect of a color as well as if you were modeling for them. It’s perfect.”

“It’s preposterous!” Lady Malpas seemed to have recovered from her shock.

Siaspar gave a mocking bow. “I only aim to please you, my lady, and spare you discomfort. May I remind you that you claimed only yesterday that you would find it tedious to stand whilst being measured and fitted for dresses?”

“I did but⁠—”

“Then it is settled. If the girl doesn’t object, she will leave the kitchen and come to be, for all intents and purposes…you.”

The irony was not lost on him, and he hoped, not on Katherine either.

“She will never be me, and being dressed is hardly a full-time occupation for a servant,” Lady Malpas snapped. His attempt to rile her had been successful, it seemed. Good.

“Indeed, but I daresay that the girl can sew and embroider. While she is not being measured, she will organize your wardrobe to suit your new situation and my preferences. I told you I cared not for the dresses you favor.”

Husband and wife were talking about her as if she were invisible. Katherine watched in silence and made sure not to draw attention to herself.

Certainly, servants were little more than furniture for Lady Malpas, but she knew that Siaspar was only ignoring her to protect her from suspicion, for which she was deeply grateful. But the abrupt way he talked to his wife took her aback. Despite the difference in status between them, he had never talked to her as bluntly as this, at least not since he had found out the truth behind her reasons for obeying Lady Malpas’ orders.

And she had to admit that, if he was abrupt with his wife, the woman had amply deserved it by her constant criticizing—and, of course, her attempt on his life. It was incredible to think that he had not sent her away in disgrace after that. Then she realized that forcing her to remain with a husband she hated was probably the best punishment he could have devised for her. But he had to have a plan to extricate himself from this appalling situation. No one deserved to be so miserable.

Siaspar suddenly turned to her. “Are you willing to do as I suggested?” he asked, keeping his voice impersonal. No one could have suspected him of knowing who she truly was.

“I am, my lord, if it pleases you.”

“Good. Then go and get cleaned. When you are finished you will put on one of her ladyship’s gowns and come find me in⁠—”

A cry interrupted him. “You cannot mean that!”

“I can,” Siaspar answered just as tranquilly as if Lady Malpas had not looked about to have a seizure. “Your clothes, ugly as they are, do not smell of the kitchen, so that way, the girl’s presence in your rooms should not offend your delicate nose. She can wear the blue dress to start with, I think, the one with the fur trimmings on the sleeves. I abhor it and do not want to see it on you ever again.”

Katherine knew the one he meant. It was a lavish creation of shimmering blue velvet with soft white fur at the cuffs. Her heart started to beat faster at the thought of slipping on such a precious gown. She guessed that Siaspar did not really hate it; he was simply trying to humiliate his wife by dressing a servant in clothes that would make her pass for one of her peers.

“It is one of my best gowns!” Lady Malpas was beside herself with rage.

“Be that as it may, it is far too English for my tastes. I prefer simpler raiment. And I will remind you that I am your husband, and as such, will not countenance to have my decisions questioned or my wishes ignored.”

That side of Siaspar, inflexible and harsh, took Katherine by surprise. What she had seen of him so far pointed to an open-minded, measured man and she suspected that anyone else would have been able to argue her case with him. The only problem was, his wife seemed to bring out the worst in him.

“You look a bit pale, my lady. Should I call for some wine or wafers to be brought up?” he asked with a sinister grin. “You will forgive me if I don’t join you. I have recently gone off them myself.”

The attack was blunt. Katherine could not blame Lady Malpas for paling further.

Apparently satisfied with this conversation, Siaspar strode over to the door.

“Out, girl,” he told Katherine with unwonted curtness. “Go tell the cook about my orders. Then come back here to get cleaned and dressed. You will start your new assignment later today. The tailors are due to arrive after sext.”

“Very well, my lord.”

After one last glance at Lady Malpas, Katherine curtsied and left, her heart overflowing with joy. She was to leave the hot, noisy kitchen where she had never felt at home to come and be dressed up like a lady, spend her days sewing in comfortable, airy rooms. It was almost too extraordinary to be believed.

Knowing that Siaspar would not be long in coming down, she waited at the bottom of the stairs to express her gratitude. He appeared only a moment later, as she had expected, and did not seem surprised to see her.